Drosera capensis, biennial or perennial?

[droseradude]

Hi. I just got a bunch of drosera capensis and I was reading about them on the internet. plantsdatabase.com says that this is a biennial. Is this true? I read in a book that sundews are perrenials, and d. capensis was one of the plants described in that book. Thanx

 

[Seandew]

Drosera capensis is definitely a perennial. Even though it can sometimes die back to the ground it will generally return to growth from its thick roots. If grown in the correct conditions a D. capensis will not die after 1 or 2 years. The vast majority of other species of Drosera are perennial.

Not all Sundews are perennials though. Species that are subjected to seasonal change in their habitat can sometimes be annuals. An example is D. glanduligera which grows in winter and spring while the ground is moist but dies when summer begins and the ground becomes dry and hot.

Other species such as D. indica, banksii, burmannii and sessilifolia must cope with similar situations and so too have developed an annual lifecycle.

Sean.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Well said Sean, nice synopsis of the annual species!  I don't know how the plant performs in habitat, or where the speculation of being a biennial arose, but in cultivation my plants are evergrowing.